CharacterScope Blog
Thoughts and news from the team behind CharacterScope
Featured Articles
The 9 Questions Model of Team Effectiveness
The high-performing, high-learning team Where do high-performing, high-learning teams come from? If you believe the status quo, it's a simple question of starting with the right people, a bit of social 'team building', and then hours clocked working together… and hey...
Benefit of the doubt? The Innovator and Self-belief
I was lucky recently to interview Shaun Pulfrey, the creator and owner of the Tangle Teezer company. I was struck by how important his story about self-belief has been to the creation of the Tangle Teezer products. Having struggled with formal education, along with...
Beautiful, Critical Data
Beautiful data, critical to understanding people and teams We live in a truly fascinating and complex world. People, in particular, never cease to surprise us - both in good and bad ways! At CharacterScope we embrace the complexity and diversity of people, and we’re...
Self-coaching resources
CharacterScope Team Playbook
Snippets
Snippet – No.18: Perseverance
I’ve been known to get distracted, often because I’m drawn to what’s new and interesting, and I feel restlessly creative. Recently, in the middle of a team meeting a colleague had to pull me up as I tried to explore some new data and “find an answer” then and there,...
Snippet – No.17: Self-regulation
I live on a small-holding in West Wales and lock-down has been carefully observed amongst our locals. With restrictions on our lives finally easing, I find that on the occasions I go out these days I am mostly left feeling angry, enraged even!My anger is not at the...
Snippet – No.16: Curiosity
Regular readers will know that our original snippet curator, Angus, is off risk-taking and I'm taking over the snippet series. I’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch and let me know how you're finding these snippets - your feedback helps keep them going in...
The philosophy behind CharacterScope
Understanding teams – The fundamentals of team development
Introduction It’s helpful to have a working model of what we think is going on in team development. In this post we touch on what it takes to become a high performance team, and the role of the team leader as the key differentiator in creating high-performing,...
The CharacterScope view on leadership (Part 4) – Leaders inspire leadership
In this series of 4 resources Mark Loftus, CEO and co-founder of CharacterScope digs into leadership and lays out some of the thinking that has shaped CharacterScope's point of view on leaders and leadership. Introduction Let’s do a quick recap on the first 3 parts of...
The CharacterScope view on leadership (Part 3) – Why do we have leaders?
In this series of 4 resources Mark Loftus, CEO and co-founder of CharacterScope digs into leadership and lays out some of the thinking that has shaped CharacterScope's point of view on leaders and leadership. Introduction Rather than start this, the third part in our...
Podcasts
All articles
Snippet – No.18: Perseverance
I’ve been known to get distracted, often because I’m drawn to what’s new and interesting, and I feel restlessly creative. Recently, in the middle of a team meeting a colleague had to pull me up as I tried to explore some new data and “find an answer” then and there,...
Snippet – No.17: Self-regulation
I live on a small-holding in West Wales and lock-down has been carefully observed amongst our locals. With restrictions on our lives finally easing, I find that on the occasions I go out these days I am mostly left feeling angry, enraged even!My anger is not at the...
Snippet – No.16: Curiosity
Regular readers will know that our original snippet curator, Angus, is off risk-taking and I'm taking over the snippet series. I’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch and let me know how you're finding these snippets - your feedback helps keep them going in...
Snippet – No.15: Risk-taking
Six snippets ago I talked about lock-down without my phone. It meant I noticed things I would otherwise have missed – the sounds, smells, sites of my hometown.The ‘Fix’ suggested that week was to delete an app that you use on a daily basis and notice what you feel,...
Snippet – No.14: Appetite
I have been trying to support some of Useful and Kind Unlimited’s cohort of young people (18-25) through these times of enormous uncertainty, challenge and frustration, and so in the last few weeks I have asked myself the same question I always ask my clients,...
Understanding teams – The fundamentals of team development
Introduction It’s helpful to have a working model of what we think is going on in team development. In this post we touch on what it takes to become a high performance team, and the role of the team leader as the key differentiator in creating high-performing,...
The CharacterScope view on leadership (Part 4) – Leaders inspire leadership
In this series of 4 resources Mark Loftus, CEO and co-founder of CharacterScope digs into leadership and lays out some of the thinking that has shaped CharacterScope's point of view on leaders and leadership. Introduction Let’s do a quick recap on the first 3 parts of...
The CharacterScope view on leadership (Part 3) – Why do we have leaders?
In this series of 4 resources Mark Loftus, CEO and co-founder of CharacterScope digs into leadership and lays out some of the thinking that has shaped CharacterScope's point of view on leaders and leadership. Introduction Rather than start this, the third part in our...
The CharacterScope view on leadership (Part 2) – Why asking what leaders are like is the wrong question
In this series of 4 resources Mark Loftus, CEO and co-founder of CharacterScope digs into leadership and lays out some of the thinking that has shaped CharacterScope's point of view on leaders and leadership. Introduction Leadership for many is something remote....
The CharacterScope view on leadership (Part 1) – Re-thinking leadership
In this series of 4 resources Mark Loftus, CEO and co-founder of CharacterScope digs into leadership and lays out some of the thinking that has shaped CharacterScope's point of view on leaders and leadership. Introduction At CharacterScope we think it is time to think...
The origins of CharacterScope – Ancient wisdom for a modern world
From ancient Athens In a sun-baked, dusty square under the shade of an olive tree an older man sits surrounded by impatient younger men. He has been asked by the Athenian elders to prepare these young men to be good leaders, the future leaders of Athens. Men who would...
Snippet – No.13: Prudence
I cycled 203km a few days ago as a way of marking the Summer solstice, the furthest I’ve ever cycled. Days had been merging into one and I wanted something to look back on in future years, a kind of ‘before the ride’ and ‘after the ride’, a way of getting some...
Snippet – No.12: Resilience
“Nana korobi ya oki 七転び八起き”Fall seven times, rise eight” - Japanese Proverb I was exhausted this weekend. People commenting that I looked pale and I really did feel tired. I’ve been wondering ‘why?’Lockdown has been a long slog – a mentally and physically...
7 Insights on Good Leadership
When we and others around us lead well, life is better: we are more productive, more engaged, more open to learning, more fulfilled. But what is it that is happening? What is our understanding of leadership? Here are CharacterScope’s 7 Insights on what good leadership...
Snippet – No.11: Open-minded
As an habitual optimist, I am drawn to all the new and exciting possibilities in any situation, so when lockdown began my thoughts were “there is so much potential to harness here.”But my temporary openness and its accompanying high has so often come crashing down...
Snippet – No.10: Optimism
When I think back to March, when our worlds changed completely, I remember feeling a huge sense of worry, dread and fear – there were so many sleepless nights! I felt anxious about all the people who would become ill or lose loved ones, those on the front...
Snippet – No.9: Other awareness
What I learned from 5 days off in lockdown with a broken phone! Could I really keep sane without all the distractions I’m used to: 9am check-ins, 2x weekly Zoom pub quizzes and an endless stream of WhatsApp video suggestions, all out of access for the foreseeable...
Snippet – No.8: Resilience
When I think about my next development goal, I am torn between choosing ‘Resilience’ (my anxieties are not about death, but rather about job losses and poverty – my family after all were Jewish war refugees) and ‘Influential’ (can I use this time to find my influencer...
Snippet – No.7: Perspective
When I’m feeling the strain, I usually take a task in front of me and focus it down, throwing all my attention and effort at it until it’s done. But, as a consequence, I lose track of everything else that is going on around me. I lose track of the context behind why...
Snippet – No.6: Thinks ahead
I've always wanted to be better at 'Thinks ahead'. Working in a finance role, and constantly involved in cashflow and P&L forecasts, my peers assume I would be great at this. In fact, I am very executional: brilliant at getting things done, but I struggle with...
Snippet – No.5: Bravery
Bravery is the thing I have been focusing on for the last few weeks. For me, bravery is not about leaving the house or facing my fears about all the news, its been about the opportunity to take a different approach to my work - being braver about my innovation and...
Snippet – No.4: Fairness
Growing up with 6 siblings has contributed to fairness being really important to me! But it’s not always easy to balance my own needs with the needs of others.I give so much energy to everyone else: work, children, family, friends – that the intensity of attempting to...
Snippet – No.3: Perseverance
I didn’t have whatever skills and behaviours I needed for working from home, and I needed to learn fast. Having struggled with English at school, communicating online was always a struggle, and it’s something I avoided. Lockdown has forced me to accept my...
Snippet – No.2: Grip
I am head of Consulting for CharacterScope, and in these unprecedented times I am struck by the difference between clients who are ‘too busy’ to have coaching sessions, and those who are desperate for time to reflect, make sense and plan how to help their teams to...
The 9 Questions Model of Team Effectiveness
Where do high-performing, high-learning teams come from? If you believe the status quo, it’s a simple question of starting with the right people, a bit of social ‘team building’, and then hours clocked working together… and hey presto, a High-Performing Team. That’s what we find most team leaders do: put together or join a team, book a team-build, maybe run through a psychometric if you’re a fan of data, and then get down to business.
Benefit of the doubt? The Innovator and Self-belief
I was lucky recently to interview Shaun Pulfrey, the creator and owner of the Tangle Teezer company. I was struck by how important his story about self-belief has been to the creation of the Tangle Teezer products. Having struggled with formal education, along with...
Snippet – No.1: Connects
We all have our own strengths and gaps - aspects of our character that either shine brightly (even when we're not trying!), or that really don't come naturally to us. For me, a real gap is staying connected with others.I love to focus on solving challenges, building,...
The Engaging Leader
The Charismatic-Servant profile is a combination reasonably frequently seen in our data-set, but do you know where they are in your organisation?
The chances are you won’t, because they are not likely to post their achievements in neon lights on the wall behind their desk.
Beautiful, Critical Data
Data on our people can be beautiful and subtle, but it’s also critical in making the right decisions for our organisation.
CEO strengths and weaknesses – The European Magazine
The strengths and weaknesses of a superhero CEO Mark Loftus for The European Building purpose into a business is an admirable ambition. But these 'heroic' leaders still have weaknesses to balance out their strengths. During ten years as Unilever CEO, Paul Polman...
Want an innovative team? First define what innovation means
Every entrepreneur or manager has a mental image about how they’d like their workforce to look but, in many cases, they’ll expect duplicates of themselves which isn’t always good for an organisational culture. As we discussed before, diversity is a key weapon in a...
Business Vision – Hidden secrets of the Innovator
Hidden secrets of the InnovatorMark Loftus for Business Vision Innovators: entrepreneurs taking risks, investors with confidence in their own judgement, colleagues who find the new angle. What makes them tick? You may assume they are filled with self-confidence, but...
Inexperienced managers? Developing employee leadership
As businesses scale and change, often at a ferocious pace, there is often a need to promote and recruit new and inexperienced managers to lead people and drive the company forwards. This can bring with it a range of benefits. They often bring a fresh approach,...
HRreview – Why it’s time to disrupt talent management
Why it’s time to disrupt talent managementMark Loftus for HRReview "The shift from Talent to talents, from the few to the many, and from talent planning to talent leadership depends on creating and embedding and building a culture of leadership. And this...
Want to be an inclusive company? That means understanding your staff
Diversity and inclusion (or D&I) is a topic you’ve undoubtedly read about over the past couple of years. Indeed, the conversation around it has grown considerably in that time as awareness has risen. But even if D&I isn’t something you’ve actively sought to...
There is great value in workplace assessments – just don’t hide the results in a drawer
Picture this: Your studies are behind you, you’re now years into your career and decide to apply for a new role. When interview day finally comes around you feel like a student all over again as you’re prompted to complete a series of psychometric tests to decide your...
What do you want from a leadership culture?
A leadership culture that sets direction Leadership culture is formed from the top down. Culture is effectively a self-supporting web of beliefs and behaviours. Over time these become leadership practices and eventually create an environment that attracts people who...
What are the leadership qualities needed for a scaling company?
Startup founders and CEOs are often seen as a different breed of leader. Across the board, they are driven by a singular focus - to ensure their business succeeds no matter what, regardless of the pressures and the pressures are not insignificant - Funding...
CharacterScope speaks at Shell’s Start-Up Connect event
Last week, our founder and CEO, Mark Loftus, was invited to take part in a panel discussion at Shell’s inaugural Startup Connect event for entrepreneurs. Shell’s Enterprise Development program aims to support startups through their early growth, both through providing...
Leaders inspire leadership
Let’s do a quick recap from the earlier blogposts. We’ve seen that there is no definitive list of ‘leader traits’: leaders are as diverse as humanity. We’ve also seen that there is no neat list of leader behaviours or skills. Instead, we’ve seen that a focus on why we...
Why do we have leaders?
Rather than start this, the third blogpost in our series of articles doing a deep-dive into leaders and leadership, with an exploration of what leaders do, we’re going to start with an even more basic question: what are leaders for? Part 1 Part 2 Here’s why this...
What are leaders like? (and why this is the wrong question)
In this second blog post exploring leadership and the role of character development in good leadership, we take a look at what leaders are like. Or rather, we explore why asking this question is not a very good idea and whether there are better questions to give us...
Why would someone be prepared to follow you?
It is time to think again about leadership. In this series of blog posts, we’re going to dig a little deeper into what leadership really is, whether it matters, what leaders are like and how to develop leadership. For all of our fascination with leadership, the TED...
CharacterScope joins the Mayor’s International Business Programme
CharacterScope has been chosen to be part of the thirteenth cohort launch for the Mayor’s International Business Programme. The programme includes 63 of London’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs with a range of scale-up companies included; smart batteries creators...
Investors talk about the entrepreneur as the lynch-pin. Are they right?
Common sense suggests that an entrepreneur is the lynch-pin of a startup. Investors often talk about the entrepreneur as being synonymous with startup and scale-up; the person they look to invest in. But are they right?
Do businesses get the balance between growth and company culture wrong?
Fast moving businesses often get the balance between growth and company culture wrong. How you should get the best from both?
Organisational culture and your bottom line
CharacterScope CEO, Mark Loftus recently held a session with a group of entrepreneurs and founders at Birmingham’s Barclays Eagle Labs on the importance of organisational culture.
Building a culture of leadership
Scaling leadership development is the single fastest way to create new capabilities across an organisation. There is no ‘silver bullet’ to achieve this: coaching is a potential solution but not cost-effectively scalable and emerging digital products show promise, but remain untested.
The CharacterScope Develop App is here!
Welcome to the CharacterScope Develop App The brand new CharacterScope Develop App is here! After an intense 6 months of development we are thrilled to tell the world that the Develop App can now be downloaded from the Apple App store and Google Play store. 34...
HR Business Leaders Programme
We are delighted that CharacterScope has been chosen to support the Guild of Human Resources Professionals in its exciting development programme for future HR Business leaders. The Guild of Human Resource Professionals is a newly formed Guild with the purpose of...